I was trying to remember when it was that I had my very first one. It was certainly not anything I had grown up with. It was as foreign to small town Nova Scotia culture as a curry would have been. It simply did not exist!! At least not in my little corner of the world!
I am pretty sure that it must have been when I moved out to Winnipeg to get married to my ex-husband. It was pretty much love at first bite for me, and I have been loving them ever since!
I did have one at the restaurant which is near to where I live not so long ago. It was as soggy as all get out! They obviously did not drain the Kraut before they put it on the sandwich. That was a bit of a disappointment I have to say! Part of the appeal of a good Reuben is that crisp and buttery toasted bread. Sogginess is a huge no-no!
In any case I made myself one here at home and I was in Reuben Sandwich Heaven. With crisp and buttery toasted rye bread, gooey cheese, salty corned beef, tangy kraut and that delicious Thousand Island dressing, it went down a real treat! There was no soggy bread here!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A CLASSIC REUBEN SANDWICH
A few specialized ingredients for sure, but also very common and easy to find!
- 2 slices good quality rye bread
- 1 TBS softened butter
- 2 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 2 slices of Swiss cheese
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced deli corned beef or pastrami
- a large handful sauerkraut, squeezed dry and warmed up
I used a marbled rye bread which is a combination of dark and light rye breads marbled together. I thought it had a lovely flavor.
I used salted butter. If you think that this will make your sandwich too salty, by all means use unsalted.
Deli corned beef works perfectly for this sandwich. They can get it a lot thinner than we can at home.
Any brand of sauerkraut will do. Just be sure you squeeze it really dry before using it so as to prevent your sandwich from being soggy.
I used Swiss cheese that I had sliced at the deli. They are nice large slices but also thin. This gives the right amount of cheesy melt.
You can use a store bought Thousand Island Dressing, or you can make your own. It is very easily done. Just combine 1/2 cup (110g) full fat mayonnaise with 2 TBS each of tomato ketchup and sweet pickle relish. You can grate in a bit of raw onion and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to finish it.
HOW TO MAKE A CLASSIC REUBEN SANDWICH
This is really not all that hard to do. So long as you don't try to rush it. Any grilled sandwich is worth the time it takes to brown and heat it through properly!
Butter the outer sides of each slice of bread with half of the softened butter.
Place one slice, buttered side down in a non-stick skillet large enough to hold it. Spread with 1 TBS of the Thousand Island Dressing.
Top with one slice of the cheese, the corned beef, the sauerkraut and the other slice of cheese.
Spread the unbuttered side of the other slice of bread with the remaining Thousand Island Dressing and place on top of the sandwich, buttered side up.
Cook over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom, flip over carefully and brown on the other side, and all of the cheese has melted, and everything is heated through. Take care not to be in too much of a hurry or have the skillet too hot or your sandwich may burn. (About 3 minutes per side.)
Cut on the diagonal to serve.
Potato chips on the side are really nice! You can multiply the quantities given to make more than one sandwich, although do to the size of them you will probably have to work in batches!
HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST REUBEN SANDWICHES
If you follow my hints and tips your sandwich is sure to be the best Reuben Sandwich ever!
1. Be sure to drain and completely squeeze all the liquid from the sauerkraut or your sandwich could end up soggy. I have eaten many a soggy Reuben in restaurants. Not nice. Squeeze it dry with your hands for perfection.
2. Warm up the sauerkraut a little before putting it on the sandwich, otherwise you will have a cold pocket in the middle of a hot sandwich. You can warm it up very easily in the microwave. It won't take long, about 20 or 30 seconds.
3. Place your cheese slices next to the bread when assembling the sandwiches. This ensures that it melts properly. Putting a slice on the bottom and top also acts as a barrier to help keep the sandwiches from getting soggy.
4. Don’t overstuff your sandwiches! Less is more here. The fuller the sandwich, the harder it is to handle and the longer it will take to heat things through and melt the cheese.
5. Ideally you can use a cast iron skillet, cooking the sandwich over medium/low-medium heat. This is just hot enough that the cheese melts but doesn’t burn the bread.
What can I say really? It's a delicious sandwich full stop. Buttery toasted rye bread. (I used marbled rye.) Melted Swiss Cheese. Tangy kraut. Rich Thousand Island Dressing. Salty corned beef. What's not to love!!
I enjoyed this for my lunch along with some tasty potato chips on the side. A very naughty and delicious combination for sure!
I am a huge fan of the hot sandwich. No surprise there. I love sandwiches of any kind really. I have never met a sandwich that I didn't enjoy! Truth! Here are a few other hot and hearty sandwiches that I enjoy!
HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH WITH BACON & CARAMELIZED ONIONS- Fresh poppyseed Kaiser rolls brushed with a honey mustard butter and filled with plenty of deli ham, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and crispy bacon! Amounts are for one sandwich but are easily multiplied to make as many as you have guests! These really are very easy to make. Probably the most time-consuming part is the caramelizing of the onions. If you are not keen you can always leave them out, but I highly recommend you do make them as they really add to the deliciousness of this tasty sandwich!
Yield: Makes 1 sandwich
The Classic Reuben Sandwich
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 6 MinTotal time: 16 Min
This is a delicious classic that always goes down a real treat. To make more than one sandwich, simply multiply the ingredients accordingly!
Ingredients
- 2 slices good quality rye bread
- 1 TBS softened butter
- 2 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 2 slices of Swiss cheese
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced deli corned beef or pastrami
- a large handful sauerkraut, squeezed dry and warmed up
Instructions
- Butter the outer sides of each slice of bread with half of the softened butter.
- Place one slice, buttered side down in a non-stick skillet large enough to hold it. Spread with 1 TBS of the Thousand Island Dressing.
- Top with one slice of the cheese, the corned beef, the sauerkraut and the other slice of cheese.
- Spread the unbuttered side of the other slice of bread with the remaining Thousand Island Dressing and place on top of the sandwich, buttered side up.
- Cook over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom, flip over carefully and brown on the other side, and all of the cheese has melted, and everything is heated through. Take care not to be in too much of a hurry or have the skillet too hot or your sandwich may burn. (About 3 minutes per side.)
- Cut on the diagonal to serve.
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